USA: The Czech wheel maker has registered its subsidiary Bonatrans North America and opened an office in Hornell. It is noted that in the initial phase, the new unit will provide support for the maintenance of Bonatrans products across the US and Canada.
The office is expected to liaise with operators, rolling stock manufacturers, and maintenance companies. Notably, Alstom’s plant is located in Hornell itself. Bonatrans also states that it is exploring opportunities to localise part of its wheelset production in the US.
Currently, GHH-Bonatrans operates manufacturing facilities in the Czech Republic and Germany, with a reported annual production capacity exceeding 240,000 wheels for various types of rolling stock, over 60,000 axles, and more than 50,000 wheelsets, generating sales revenue in excess of €450 mln. The company serves customers in over 80 countries. Last spring, the holding sold its sole plant in India to the local company Jupiter Wagons, with a stated capacity of up to 20,000 wheels per year.
The North American market is known as one of the largest globally for freight rail volumes, while amid substantial government support, passenger rolling stock usage is also actively expanding. This fosters localisation by global players, with recent additional stimulus coming from the aggressive import tariff policy introduced by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
